CONFLICT RESOLUTION AND PEACE BUILDING

BY PETER WAWERU KIMEI

Provincial Peace Forum Secretariat peterwaweru81@yahoo.com

UNDERSTANDING CONFLICT CAUSES; (PERCEPTIONS)

Conflict is neither good nor bad. Individual or group perception on conflicts and the manner in which conflict is managed determines whether a conflict will yield a positive or negatives effects on the parties involved

MERITS OF CONFLICTS
Unearths deep seated problems Enhances understanding among parties Challenges leaders to explore solutions Challenges the communities status quo Helps people to change unhelpful behaviors ( habits and other social evils) Avails opportunities for people to be more innovative and creative Promotes group solidarity and cohesiveness

Demerits of conflicts
Destruction of property, physical infrastructure, loss of lives, displacement of families abuse of women and children Erosion of social support system Loss of knowledge and experiences ( as the old die without passing on the wisdom)

Cont
Missed opportunities for socio-economic development Exploitation by external parties Stigmatization and trauma Environmental destruction

Underlying causes of conflict ( general)

o Resources and interests( for example conflicts over land rights , oil reserves, borders etc) o Governance (for example conflicts over political legitimacy, poor leadership/management, voting rights o Ideology and religion( conflicts between Christians and Muslims, capitalism and communism) o Identity ( for example conflicts between ethnic, cultural and socio-economic groups)

Structural/Systemic Structural/Systemic
These are underlying factors that have been built into the policies, structures and fabric of a society and may create pre-conditions for violent conflict. These include; Unequal distribution of resources and opportunities Corruption Authoritarian/totalitarian governance Colonial legacy and or neo-colonialism Religious and ethnic discrimination Endemic poverty

Proximate Causes
These are factors contributing to a climate conducive to violent conflict or its further escalation, sometimes symptomatic of a deeper problem. Proliferation of small arms Institutional failure- Electoral commission resulting to rigging , law courts-denial f ustice

Factors leading to prolonged conflicts

Marginalization of the Conflict (Conflict is in the peripheral) Commercialization of the Conflict/conflict or war economy Politicization of the conflict (political Capital) Cycles of Revenge (Violence begets Violence) Radicalism External Interests and Support

Conflict Indicators ( macro- level) macroSocial Indicators Mounting demographic pressures Massive movement of refugees or internally displaced persons creating complex humanitarian emergencies. Legacy of vengeance seeking group grievance Chronic and sustained human flight

Cont
Economic Indicators Uneven economic development along group lines Sharp and/or even severe economic decline

Cont
Political/Military Indicators Criminalization and or de-legitimization of the state Progressive deterioration of public services Suspension or arbitrary application of the rule of law and wide spread violation of human rights. Security apparatus operates as a state within a state Rise of factionalized elites Intervention of other states or external political actors.

Conflict indicators micro level, (community/ individual levels)

Low interaction and sudden withdrawals among individuals or communities. It may involve avoiding others. Low morale coupled with unusually poor performance. Perpetual absenteeism. Poor inter-personal relationships (quarrels, backbiting, moody outbursts without reasonable cause) Expulsion of group members. Smoothing things over.

Conflict Analysis : Mapping

Conflict mapping is a visual technique showing relationships between parties in conflict and also locating areas of conflict What to map? Mapping of areas and parties involved. Mapping of issues

Cont
Mapping of allies and powers How? Ask each party to sketch what they perceive to be their area /community space Ask them to locate areas of conflict

Mapping analysis
For each of the mapped areas of the conflict let each party identify; Issue or issues for the conflict ( their perception) Causes for the conflict Parties in conflict Parties to the conflict Effects of the conflict Possible solutions to the conflict

Conflict Analysis matrix

Conflict issue Causes Parties in conflict Parties to the conflict Effects Possible solutions

Cont
Helps parties involved to identify parties in the conflict and other actors to the conflict in a nonthreatening way shows the relationship between parties in a conflict and how they influence each other Provides an opportunities to parties involved to share / generate home-grown solution, deepening understanding among themselves

ABC TRIANGLE: (Attitudes, Behaviour and Context)

The ABC Triangle is based on an assumption that conflict has 3 major components: the context, Behaviour and Attitudes of those involved in conflict It involves analysis of factors related to Attitudes, Behaviour and Context for each of the major conflict parties.

Cont
The tool helps to understand the position from which each actor is approaching conflict The context within which conflict is taking place. Helps to identify the key needs of each actor.

How to use the ABC triangle

Draw up a separate ABC triangle for each of the major parties in conflict. Put Attitude, Behaviour and Context in the corners of the triangle On each triangle, list the key issues on Attitude, Behaviour and Context from the view point of that party.

Cont
Indicate the most important needs and/or fears for each party in the middle of the triangle; remember that this choice is your own perception Compare the different triangles for the different parties, noting the similarities and differences in perceptions

An example
A-Attitudes Arrogance Willingness to change Hopeless ness B- Behaviors Abduction Killing Quarrelling C- Context Poverty Land scarcity Discrimination Injustice

METHODS OF CONFLICT RESOLUTION AND PEACE BUILDING

Methods are; Tools to use to bring about desired change. Process used to accomplish a task The way any conflict is resolved will determine whether the parties involved will learn and draw lessons from it or remain long-standing enemies

Cont
In any conflict situation, conflict may be managed or resolved in a manner that results to any of the three levels ; a. Lose-lose. Both parties lose. e.g Compromising/taking middle ground,Pay off one party e.g. bribes or resorting to bureaucratic rules /regulations.

Cont
b. Win-lose. One party marshals its forces to win and the other party to lose. Energies are focused on defeating the other party but not solving the problem. E.g. in Law courts, Employer Employee conflicts, Blood compensation, mediations etc c. Win Win. Energies and creativity is geared towards solving the problem ( but not either of the parties)

WinWin-Win situation
Call the conflicting parties together and ask them what happened not who did it?. Involve as many stakeholders as possible. Listen carefully to each of the parties perceptions and interests. Facilitate the parties to discuss issues raised by each of the parties

Cont
Help them identify the problem/name the problem. Facilitate them to generate solutions and suggestions to solve the problem. Make them choose the best option/ suggestion to solve the problem.

Traditional Method
These are methods that particular communities have used over time and are embedded in the community value systems, attitudes and culture. The traditional process is cheaper in terms of time and relatively well understood by most people as compared to the conventional legal system which is too much time consuming and complex Traditional methods differ from one community to the other

Cont
Traditional methods should not be taken as blue print but should be analyzed to answer the following: What are the implications of using traditional methods of conflict resolution? Who is involved? What are the long-term effects? What do communities think of these methods? And what are these methods perpetuating?

The Religious Basis of Peace Building

The spiritual factor emanates from religious beliefs, convictions and teachings Religion is therefore very vital in peace building as it indeed is in peoples lives Religion and its institutions play an important role in peace building because: It teaches the message of peace which resonates with people;

Cont
It has a wide network to disseminate information; It has legitimacy; It provides points of refuge for victims of conflicts; and It has the message of reconciliation in its teachings.

Promotion of Democracy
Democracy provides a framework for justice, fairness and equality. Generally, democracy means a way of governing based on peoples consent. It stands for the welfare of all and for the common good. Democracy is an important element of peace building because it recognizes that power belongs to the people. Both pursue;

Cont
Democracy will promote ; Greater freedom for people A just society Equality before the law and Equal opportunities for all.

Active Non-Violence Non Active Non-Violence is a lifestyle. Active Non-Violence is about pro-actively engaging with an often-violent world without resorting to violence oneself . It is about not just being the change you wish to see in the world but also going out to create that change in others

Cont
To meet violence with effective nonviolence requires considerable preparation, self-belief and self-control It can involve anything from talking to friends or neighbours in ones own community or discussions among community leaders.

Cont
ANV seeks to destroy enmity, not the enemy. It is evil that the ANV resistor seeks to defeat not the persons victimized by evil. It seeks friendship and reconciliation rather than defeat or humiliation of an opponent.

Cont
ANV demands that the means we use must be as pure as the ends we seek. It is wrong to use immoral means to attain moral ends and vice versa.

Problem solving workshop

Once the parties in / to the conflict have been identified, a problem solving workshop may be used to build consensus This is an informal way of negotiation aimed at consensus building. Parties are treated as equal partners in the conflict

Cont
The aims are: Creating a trusting environment Information sharing (facts and figures) Building and restoring relationships Collective critical analyses (root causes) of the conflict

Cont
Exploring options for dealing with the conflict Establishing action points for the parties involved in the conflict Developing monitoring & evaluation system for the actions implemented. Organizing periodic follow-ups.

Other methods of conflict management; Settlement

Parties involved are forced to reach an understanding acceptable to both Settlement does not deal with who is right or wrong or the issue, but merely seeks to regulate harm or damage to parties concerned. seeks to prevent or reduce negative results of the existing conflict

Cont
It does not seek to permanently end the conflict because it does not address its root causes It intervenes to prevent the escalation and reduce the cost of that conflict.

Arbitration
Most common in legal settlement of conflicts Judgment is reached according to ones ability to argue the case out rather than address the problem. It is not so much what the problem is but what one wants or how much can one get.

Cont
The arbitrator therefore addresses what the parties are interested in getting, rather the source of the conflict. The arbitrator sees the problem as a dispute over spoils rather than a conflict over needs. The two parties choose the arbitrator. The parties agree on the rules.

Cont
The decision of the arbitrator is biding to all the parties. Often, the outcome is a win-loose one. The problem with arbitration is the grievances, like in a court situation, remain long after the decision has been made.

Mediation
Use of third party or mediator is a as gobetween. A mediator facilitate negotiations between the parties, - get the parties to sit together and talk about the conflict. The mediator helps parties arrive at the best possible solution to their current problem, (may not be the best outcome for the parties).

Cont
Outcomes are achieved through compromise. Compromise leads to lose-lose outcomes.

Reconciliation
It is along term process of overcoming hostilities, mistrust and suspicion between people in conflict Reconciliation is a process of confidence and trust building that leads to healing justice rather than revenge justice The kind of justice that promotes human rights, rule of law of a given society, economic ad gender fairness

Cont
The method involves an effort to get the parties to agree and forgive each other May appoint subcommittees from different parties to dialogue on nature and causes of conflict and come up with recommendations A third party may talk to the two parties separately-gathering information and areas of compromise

Key questions
What do you like/appreciate about the other party? What do you find difficult about the other party? (What has gone wrong, why and how?)

Cont
What do you request of the other party to achieve an amicable solution to the problem? What compromises are you willing to make to have a lasting peace to the conflict ?

Role and Qualities 0f Peace Builders /

A visionary Respected Restore relationships. Knowledgeable in peace issues Committed to change self and society Restores peoples hopes and aspirations Self manager Empower the vulnerable and marginalized.

Roles
Starter Roles Provokes community to action (social analyst) Awareness raising. Transformational facilitators, process helper, challenges and helps communities to change. Rolemodel.

Cont
Links community with others like minded individuals and institutions (stakeholders) Facilitate formation of horizontal and vertical linkages. Resources persons (Trainer, information sharing) Co-ordinates peace building initiatives.

Cont
Accomplisher roles Analyst, facilitate community to review and evaluate their peace building activities. Planners, facilitates participatory planning of activities. Manager provides visionary leadership. Formation of task force to coordinate peace building activities. Documents / reports peace activities and lessons learnt